So many great entries, all with different styles and interpretations of the theme!

esufmp: nice background, it really evokes the idea of a cheap ferry! It would fit perfectly in an adventure game. I can imagine a puzzle where you have to win the talent contest, and I wouldn't mind exploring the rest of the ship.

CaptainD: well, that was an unexpected sci-fi twist! Those aliens... first they attack our rocks, then the whole planet.

Rocchinator: lovely background, as usual! Those columns give the image a nice mythological vibe, and I like the adventurous feeling.

Concept: your background should tell us something about the place you have depicted.Playability: does it have clear walkable areas (swimmable areas?), things to interact with, etc?Artistic Execution: what's the feeling of the place? Does the image convey the wanted atmosphere?

Voting ends on the 24th of September.

Trophies:And here are the trophies! Since the sea can be cruel, I made some horrifying trophies as well, to reflect its nature.

Concept: Blondbraid - who sleeps in this cabin? What's in the jug? What's in the bucket? Where are they going and why? So many questions need answering!Playability: esufmp - looks like a lot of interesting possibilities in that scene.Artistic Execution: xBRANEx - love the peaceful atmosphere here and use of colours, just looking at it for a while should calm anyone down nicely.

Concept: Rocchinator (if this doesn't best describe a sea setting, then tell me what does)Playability: xBRANEx (so much to interact with, and I can so see myself repairing the boat to row to that island to find out what lies there)Artistic Execution: Rocchinator (for some reason it has that Greek myth feel--and am I the only one who thinks of the NES game "Battle of Olympus" when I see this?)

Concept: Rocc - I think this is the weakest bg you used for competitions here. But it's still really nice. Playability: Blondbraid - Your style is so easy to recognize. I really like the bleak mood of this one.Artistic Execution: Blondbraid